UN urges governments to buy local food in public projects
New York, May 16 (IBNS): Public procurement can contribute to making food systems more fair and sustainable, and help realize the human right to adequate food, according to a United Nations independent expert.
Egypt: UN urges reform to legal system following death sentences
New York, May 16 (IBNS): In the wake of the second wave of mass death sentences handed down in Egypt last month, a group of African and United Nations human rights experts on Thursday called on authorities to bring the country's legal system into compliance with international and regional standards.
UN concerned over drought impact on crops in Syria
New York, May 16 (IBNS): Drought and ongoing conflict are not only adding pressure to Syria's already dire food security situation, but also increasing the need for imports and driving up prices, according to the latest outlook issued by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
UN urges support for Yemenis in need of assistance
New York, May 16 (IBNS): Nearly 15 million people in Yemen - over half the population - are in need of some form of humanitarian aid this year, the top United Nations relief official in the country said on Thursday, urging the international community to provide the critical funds necessary for the response.
Syria: UN seeks expanded aid access to Palestinian refugees
New York, May 16 (IBNS): A senior United Nations official has highlighted the extreme hardship faced by Palestinian refugees in Syria as a result of the ongoing armed conflict, and stressed the need to improve conditions to enable the delivery of critically-needed humanitarian assistance.
Death toll rises to 282 in Turkey mine mishap
Istanbul, May 15 (IBNS): The death toll in a blast and resultant fire at a Turkish mine on Tuesday has touched 282 on Thursday, triggering a day-long strike by country's trade unions to protest against the mishap.
South Sudan: UN welcomes deal to resolve conflict in Pibor
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has welcomed the signing of an agreement between the Government and the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (Cobra Faction) on the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Greater Pibor County, Jonglei state.
Ban calls for optimizing benefits for migrants
New York, May 15 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called on all countries to rally around the common goal of creating regular, safe and orderly channels of migration and to optimize the benefits of this phenomenon - for those people crossing borders and for society as a whole.
UN report reveals record people displaced by war
New York, May 15 (IBNS): Conflict and violence uprooted a record 33.3 million people within their countries last year, according to a new United Nations-backed report released on Wednesday, which adds that 63 per cent of them are in five countries - Syria, Colombia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
UN urges release of abducted Nigerian school girls
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations expert committee tasked with monitoring discrimination against women on Wednesday added its voice to the chorus of condemnation of the abduction of over 200 girls from their school in north-eastern Nigeria and called for their immediate release.
UN deeply concerned over Burundi political infighting
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The political situation in Burundi remains tense with limited political space not conducive to the protection of human rights, a United Nations envoy on Wednesday told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, warning that as the country approaches elections in 2015, there is a possibility of violence.
UN condoles Turkish coal mine tragedy
New York, May 15 (IBNS): United Nations officials have offered their condolences to the families affected by the coal mine explosion in the town of Soma in western Turkey that reportedly resulted in at least 245 deaths.
UN condemns murder of photojournalist in CAR
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations has condemned the murder of well-known French photojournalist Camille Lepage, whose body was found in the Bouar region in the western part of war-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where she had been working.
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in Geneva on Wednesday urged bold action by diplomats at the start of the world body's first ever meeting on Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS), better known as "killer robots," telling them: "You have the opportunity to take pre-emptive action and ensure that the ultimate decision to end life remains firmly under human control."
The New York Times Executive Editor replaced
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The New York Times newspaper on Wednesday replaced its executive editor Jill Abramson with immediate affect.